Your Love is Mine
by Shattered Life
Summary: When the last Great War devastated the entire world, the kingdoms that were the most affected must win the heart of the prince of the rich and beautiful American Kingdom to save their kingdom from being wiped off the face of the map. Multi-pairings w/USA.
1. Chapter 1

**SHATTERED LIFE'S NOTES: **

Huzzah! I'm already on my third story, can you believe it? Nope, I can't either. This story is very old, let me tell you. I wrote it around February (2/6/11 to be exact. Or that's what my Mac tells me.) of last year so this story is a year old! I didn't post it because I had no internet available until April.

I hope you guys enjoy this fic set in alternate medieval times which means that this medieval times is not the same as ours if you live in the planet Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy. Just making sure. 'Cause there is some differences in this time period that didn't exist back then.

This story is inspired by CreampuffBunny's _'A Storm of Sunflowers.'_ Go check it out, it's worth it. All the sexy RusAme goodness that she wrote was good for my mind and imagination. = u =

BTW, this is the story that inspired 'What the Heart and Soul Desire' which was a example/prototype for this story. Another note that you must know, this story is written differently because my writing style was different back then.

**Warnings:**

•**SO MUCH PAIRINGS! Here are the main ones: RusAme, UKUS, FrUS, JPUS, GrUS ( GreecexAmerica ), SpAm ( SpainxAmerica [one of personal favourites] ), GerAme ( GermanyxAmerica ). Other pairings will arise later in the story. **

•**There will be gore later in the chapters. Don't worry if you have a weak stomach, it'll be much later in the story and if I don't get carried away, with luck, the gore scene will be mild. WITH LUCK. I always get carried away at those scenes. But, it will be light-hearted and funny in the beginning. (With the exception of the prologue.)**

Anyways, let's get on with the show.

**DISCLAIMER:**

I do not own Hetalia whatsoever.

_Timeline: Around the 14th-16th century in an Alternate Universe_

_Long, long ago, there was a marvelous world, far away from where we currently live, that harnessed many great, flourishing kingdoms-It was truly a peaceful time. Many kingdoms shared military power, created life-changing technologies that prospered everyone and everything, and no war was happening to shatter their perfect world. That is until the old king of the Turkey kingdom died mysteriously and then his only living relative took power: his power-hungry nephew, Nicolas. _

_Nicolas always had a extreme fascination of the old kingdoms of Europe. Ever since he was a young lad, he created a plan to make all that precious history of Europe, his. Every day and night, he would read a good amount of books, encircling European history. As he grew, his ambitions grew stronger and malicious as he continued to isolate himself in his personal library, not coming out for meals and at times, he wouldn't sleep for days. After his uncle died, he saw this as his chance to finally have Europe in his grasp. When Nicolas was crowned 'King of Turkey,' his first order of business was to invade Europe. And he started with the kingdom he most admired: Greece. _

_Greece, unprepared for the attack, quickly fell and were forced to submit to his power. The Kingdom of Bulgaria, mortified of meeting the same fate as Greece, declared war on Turkey. The War of Nicolas had started and all hell broke lose. Turkey started annexing European kingdoms one by one and the Allied forces decided to take action. _

_After the war, with the Allied forces winning and liberating the annexed kingdoms, the kingdoms were devastated at the large amount of damages and money spent to support war funding. They all waited for their certain demise; their collapse of their kingdom. Then, suddenly out of nowhere, a small farmhand from the British Kingdom suggested an idea to King Zephiel and his son, Prince Arthur. He told them to make an alliance with the American Kingdom._

_The King was marveled at the idea. The American Kingdom possessed a great deal of money since they remained neutral during 'The Nicolas War.' Not to mention they had a powerful army and large amounts of fertile land compared to Europe, with it's small tracts of land. But there was one catch-to form alliances with foreign kingdoms, one must set a marriage between their offsprings. _

_King Zephiel was prepared to do anything to save his subjects and arranged a meeting with America. It was almost expected for other kingdoms to find out about this piece of information. Many kingdoms also arranged meetings with the Prince of America. But, at the last minute, the King of America came up with a little idea. He suggested that the princes' should win the love of his son, Prince Alfred, in order to get the perks that his empire will provide to the winning kingdom. Desperate that his son wouldn't find a suitor before he died, he worried that Alfred couldn't run the state by himself and he knows how that feels. And so began the race to win the affection of the cocky prince; their only hope to save their kingdom, legacy, and most importantly, their people._

_= England =_

Today the weather was the same as usual. Cloudy with a certain chance of rain. Arthur looked out his bedroom window, seeing the dark clouds obscure the sun. He sighed wearily, nervous of the arrangement his father made with the kingdom overseas. It's been a while since he last saw Alfred and afraid that he may not to talk to him over what happened at their last encounter.

"I wonder what Alfred looks like right now?" _'Probably cuter than when I saw him last.' _Arthur said to no one in particular. A quiet but firm knock on his door awakened him from his thoughts. "Come in." A young maid came in and bowed down before rising up again.

"Your father demands to speak with you."

Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Thank you, Sue. I will be there momentarily."

"As you wish." She politely bowed down again and left the room. Arthur rose up from his chair and walked out of his room.

Arthur's boots clicked against the marble as he walked to his father's study. It was unusually empty in the hallways. Ever since the war ended, mostly all the servants left to carry medical supplies to the commoners and soldiers. But Arthur liked it that way. More peace and quiet for him though, it can be depressing at times.

He finally stopped at a huge door, decorated with oversized lions on each side of the door. He'll never understand his father's mast interest with these creatures. He kept saying that they represent power and loyalty. What they really represent is how much money can be spent on decorating a silly little door.

Arthur knocked on the door to let his father know he was already here. After a few moments of hearing fast-paced footsteps, the door unlocked and revealed an unpleasant sight: His father.

"My son! My pride and joy! Come into my arms and let me embrace you," Zephiel said giddily, opening his arms wide expecting Arthur to fall between them.

"Good day, father. What sort of news do you have for me this time?" Arthur replied monotonously as he ignored his doting father and pushed against him to enter his study. Zephiel pouted when his affection wasn't returned and walked to his desk. Arthur sat on the red velvet chair next to the window, away from his father. He didn't actually hate him persay, it's just well, well… screw it. He did hate him.

"It's official." Zephiel settled down to his beige, over-sized desk. Arthur raised a curious (large) eyebrow, not understanding anything that he was being told.

"What is?" Arthur sighed. He wasn't in the mood for fun and games. And by God, so help him, that if was going to say _'Guess' _he was going to wring his litt-

"Oh, silly little Arthur," He playfully nodded his head in disappointment. "Have you already forgotten? Not that I'm surprised, of course. But on to the case, the King of America has agreed to see our request for marriage. Under one condition…" By then, the short blonde paled at the mention that King Lyon did indeed agree to the proposal. He was not at all prepared to see Alfred again.

Arthur noticed that his father was staring and it made him uncomfortable. "So," Arthur coughed nervously. "What condition?" The way his old man was smiling mischievously was signaling that it was not good news. Not good at all.

"You will have to compete with other nation's princes. The Grecian, Japanese, French, Russian, Spanish, and German kingdoms are also in this deal. And with this, good luck! Your competition is fierce." Arthur tried to stand up to protest that this wasn't part of the deal but he couldn't as he fell down backwards along with his chair, his head making contact with the floor. (Oh, hello floor. Nice day crashing into you, isn't it?)

Yep.

He was SO going to kill him.

_= Greece =_

Heracles looked around his home, seeing his pride and joy in tatters because of Turkey. All the ancient buildings made by his ancestors were no longer there. The only thing that remained was charred patches of land and burnt grass. His long, prideful history that withstood the laws of time was gone in a matter of seconds, just as fast as burning a piece of paper.

Sitting down, he began to stroke the stray cats that now rose up in alarming numbers, thanks that both their houses and owners were now long gone. As his olive-colored eyes wandered aimlessly around his destroyed kingdom, he caught sight of two young children surrounding what seemed to be two bodies. These two young children were crying, faces covered in dirt and stained crimson mottling their shredded clothes. They were lying on top of the two motionless bodies whose blank, lifeless eyes were forever staring into nothing. The children kept shouting for their parents, repeating it continuously like if somehow, by some unknown miracle, it would revive them. Unfortunately, there was no such thing since there is nothing one can do to reverse the cycle of death.

Heracles set down the stray kitten on the burnt grass and headed towards the children's direction. When he was near enough, he held out his hand to the eldest of the two, a girl no older than twelve.

With a warm, sincere smile, he said, "Come with me. I'll take you to the palace shelter."

The girl was hesitant at first but when she recognized him as the Prince of Greece, she accepted the offer and gently took hold of Heracles' hand. The younger of the two, a young boy of primary school age, grabbed his sister's hand and the trio set out to the palace, leaving the bodies whose untimely death was caused by this horrible war.

Looking towards the children who had dried tears caking their face, he smiled a bit before narrowing his eyes._ 'Something has to be done.' _Heracles thought to himself as the palace appeared over the horizon.

_= Japan = _

The Kingdom of Japan is, or _was, _a very advanced, crowded kingdom, blessed with cherry blossoms that would come every spring. It was part of the _'Majestic 8 Kingdoms'_ alliance; an alliance between the eight kingdoms that were a major influence to the world.

Japan had been an ally to Bulgaria in the war which caused Turkey to invade Japan, angry of their sudden betrayal after so many years of good relations between them, and the Kingdom of Japan was left in ruins.

Kiku Honda was the name of the Emperor's son, a young man of age 28, who often gets mistaken as a man in his early 20's due to his small structure and youthful face. He is well blessed at constructing miniatures and having quite exceptional intelligence. Due to his ability to sense the mood better than anyone, it made him a very wise man at an early age. Despite his serious and calm composure, he tends to lose it when food prices go up. Like in this current situation.

It's been a whole month since the Great War ended, leaving most of the world poor and corrupted. The Kingdom of Japan, known world-wide of its advanced technology, have been suffering tremendously; food was extremely scarce and soon enough, food will only be sold to the very wealthy. All of the homes were destroyed and citizens have now sought shelter at the only remaining building in the whole entire kingdom, The Sakura Palace.

Kiku was atop of his palace's rooftop, looking above of his destroyed kingdom. How his heart ached when he saw his people suffering at his late father's cost at joining the war. He still remembered his father's fateful decision 10 years ago; it was a rainy day, thunder rumbling the palace.

_= 10 years ago =_

_"Father!" A voice trembled the palace: a voice full of anger. "Father! What is the meaning of this!-?" The young Kiku was quite fuming, his face etched in disgust with his fists curled into balls. _

_The Emperor turned his head to the direction of his son and beckoned him to come where he currently resided: the highest balcony in the Sakura Palace. _

_Kiku didn't hesitant in joining his father. "Father, I know I'm speaking out of turn but please reconsider this decision! No good will-" _

_"Son, please allow me the moment to explain," The Emperor said, interrupting his son in his discussion. He pulled Kiku close to his side and with his left hand, motioned it outwards, towards the outskirts of the palace, where the peasants lived. "See all of this, my son?" _

_"Yes, Father." He replied. _

_"One day, all of this will be yours and I fully expect you to treat our fair kingdom and her people with kindness and compassion; something becoming of any great leader." The Emperor of Japan left his son's side and approached closer to the balcony's end. "And our people deserve the very best after the horrible economy I had to bring us out off when I was about your age."_

_Horrible economy… He was not alive during the ordeal but the scar left on the people after the event was proof enough to him that it was not your average walk in the park. People died of starvation, kids as little as six where left dead on the sidewalks due to severe malnutrition, droughts, earthquakes, corruption, you name it; it all happened during the Kurai Era. _

_"That is why," The Emperor continued. "I want to join the war. If we play our cards right, we will prosper like never before, we will all be rich!"_

_"And if we fail?" Kiku questioned. _

_"We won't. I promise - I promise to help win the war." At that moment, a huge bolt of lightning crackled near the palace, engulfing the entire place in a blinding white light. _

_They won the war but at what cost? _

_Of course the blood and suffering of humans. _

_They never did prosper out of this tribulation, it just made thing worse. _

_Such is the wheel of fate. Like death itself, it does not discriminate. It's mysterious ways are even baffling to the Creator himself. _

_= Present (10 years passed) =_

A few months before the war ended, his father got terribly sick and was diagnosed with pneumonia. Unfortunately, thanks to his frail body and health caused by old age, he didn't last very long in this world.

Everyone in the kingdom mourned his passing, even the soldiers who were overseas. But, no one felt the pain that Kiku, the Emperor's son, felt. You might speculate that the Emperor never got along well with his son due to his cold attitude towards him in public, yet that was not the case. Behind closed doors, they adored and appreciated each others company, especially so ever since their wife/mother died at a young age.

Kiku was still in the balcony, holding his father's pendant that he gave to him with his dying breaths. Even though it was his father's fault that things turned out this way, he was going to fix it. After all, he is the new Emperor now and an Emperor must need a bride and what better candidate than the Prince of the American Kingdom?

He heard about other kingdoms asking permission for the American Prince's hand in marriage. What clever people was all he could think of. America had it all: large sums of money, fertile and bountiful land, and they were important in the importing and exporting business. Yes, he could make due with the American Prince, even if he was a bit… obstreperous. Nonetheless, he was good friends with him and that may work in his favour.

Hmm… he should probably head to the sea port right now, the ship leaves in an hour.

_= France = _

Queen Marietta was pacing around the dining chambers, ignoring her breakfast and her son, Prince Francis.

"Our spies have not yet returned. I am afraid that they may have been caught." Queen Marietta wiped out the sweat from her forehead with the handkerchief she withdrew from her sleeves.

Francis didn't really care. If his mother could care less about him, then why should he worry about his mother's affairs? He just continued eating his eggs before his mother's pacing ruined his app- too late. He wasn't hungry anymore.

"Why should you care anyway? We already know that King Zephiel is sending his son to form an alliance with the American Kingdom. What are we going to gain from messing in their affairs?" Francis didn't understand how his mother -or women- worked. Say anything to them and somehow they will turn that into an insult against them. Women…

Marietta looked at her son in a vexing manner before changing it quickly to a sincere face. She looped her arm around Francis' shoulder and gripped it tight and pulled him close to her bosom. Francis knew better than to fall for these false _'love acts' _that his mother performed on him; more so in the public to show she was a caring mother when she actually was not. Besides for publicity, she used this strategy to get on his 'good side.' It never did work.

"You know, son…" Marietta rolled her eyes as she started speaking in a overly-honeyed tone. "We went over this. You are also going to form an alliance with Alfred. Didn't you hear me talk about that two days prior?"

Even though Francis was eating or drinking anything, he managed to choke on his own saliva, coughing hysterically. "WHAT?-! I can't do that, mama! He's my little cousin!" Oh God… Right now all he's hoping is that his mother doesn't force him. Many people were right when they mentioned he was a man of love who adores everything-excluding a certain English Prince- and he loves his younger cousin, Alfred, but marriage is taking a step too far. it will make things awkward between them.

Marietta just scoffed. "Oh, well. Your opinion doesn't matter, now does it?"

"Now wait just a moment!" Francis was glaring his mother straight in her piercing gray eyes that held an emotion that was exclusive to him and him alone: disappointment. "What do you mean my opinion doesn't matter? Have you forgotten that I'm next in line for the crown?" He watched as his mother laughed her cruel, cold, empty laugh.

"Dearest son, it is not only I who has forgotten something excruciatingly vital." She approached Francis with a smug look, not taking her eyes off of Francis' for a second. "You may indeed be your father's successor but while your father's away, I'm the one who's in charge here!" She raised up her right hand up high and delivered a cruel slap to Francis' left cheek, leaving a stinging red mark. "Have you forgotten your place, you ungrateful fool! Have you forgotten who was the one who brought you into this world, the one who bore you into a life of privilege!-?" Francis could only look coldly into his mother's face, hand cupped over his slapped cheek. "What ever happened to the son who used to follow the rule of _'Respect thy father and thy mother?' _Hmmm?" She hummed. She gained no response from Francis.

Marietta's face contorted into an expression of such bitterness that she is, for a moment, ugly. Her normally vivid, luscious gray eyes were now blurred with hate, her beautiful, pale porcelain face was twisted in so much anger that every wrinkle and crease that she hid behind make-up were now visible, evidence of her aging youth. Her sunny-blonde hair that she always carefully put in a bun was now a mess of tangled hair, releasing themselves from the grip of the ribbon.

She was about to strike her son once more when she abruptly headed towards the exit of the dining chambers. Opening the door with a twist of the knob, she headed out, giving Francis a chance to sigh in relief until he heard his mom's sharp, cold, cynical voice. "Pack your stuff. You're going along with other candidates; it's a competition and you better damn win! If you don't, you'll doom your future kingdom!" With that, she slammed the door behind her, leaving an appalled Francis alone, who was thinking about the big responsibility that was now burdened upon his shoulders.

_= Germania and Spain = _

The sound of steel clashing against one another played throughout the background as a spar was taking place in the castle garden of Ludwig's home. He carefully manoeuvred every swing of his sword, trying to block his sparring partner, Antonio: the Prince of the Kingdom of Spain. Antonio, without a sweat, fought back against Ludwig, counter-attacking his every move with ease. This play-battle continued for a few seconds until Antonio, with one skillful swoop, threw back Ludwig's sword behind him, leaving the blonde German armless and the Spaniard, the victor.

Antonio approached Ludwig with a warm smile and extended his hand towards Ludwig. "Truce?"

Ludwig just looked at the tan hand before him and sighing contently, Ludwig said, "Truce." They both shook hands and walked to the pond where they left their sheaths.

"Y'know Ludwig?" Antonio began to say as he looked up at the sky where the clouds were getting darker and darker by the second. "You're good at fighting but not good enough; you're more suited to be a tactician than a soldier!"

Ludwig didn't respond to his question but he just looked at the Spaniard as if agreeing. They both walked to the castle in content silence, unaware of their parents looking at them through a window.

"So tell me, King Niklas… You are telling me that King Zephiel is planning to send his son to ask for Prince Alfred's hand in marriage?" Queen Delicia of Spain asked as she twirled a strand of her auburn hair in between her slender fingers that was adorned in numerous, expensive jewelry. "And along with little Arthur are other competitors?" She eyed Niklas as he walked away from the window and sat down in the chair directly across from her.

"Yes, that's what my spies have informed me. The Kingdoms of England, Greece, Japan, Russia, and France are also in this little game." Niklas informed Delicia. "That is why I summoned you in such short notice, for you see I also want to be part in this deal."

"And this has to do with me in what way, Your Majesty?" Queen Delicia never did trust the King of Germania. He never did attended the annual European ball back when there was peaceful times. Especially during that horrible war that he initiated that cost the lives of those poor little boys that she and her son both enjoyed the company of.

King Niklas took a sip of water from the glass he was holding and set it down on his leg, looking at himself being mirrored in the clear substance. "Don't act like a fool, Queen Delicia; I know that your kingdom is starting to collapse." Nonchalantly, he broke his viridescent-coloured eyes away from his reflection and stared at Queen Delicia's own purple orbs, making her fidget with unease. "If you send your eldest son, Antonio, to be part of the competition, he may very well have a chance to win, thus saving your kingdom."

At that moment, Queen Delicia knew something peculiar was going on with King Niklas. He wouldn't just bluntly inform her of this juicy tidbit of information seeing as how there would more competition, now would he? There's something that he secretly wanted from her, something with her son perhaps.

When Queen Delicia was about to respond, the sound of the metal castle doors opening was heard, informing both of them that their successors were now inside castle walls. "It seems that their sparring lesson has come to a close. Let us make haste, King Niklas, for we have limited time. I will regard your invitation to this little tournament but don't be sorry when my precious son defeats yours."

A small smirk tugged at King Niklas' face as he looked outside the window, watching the first snowfall of the year starting to cover his land, causing the last remaining leaf on the tree nearby to break away, leaving the tree bald and dead. "Don't worry about that, Your Highness."

Queen Delicia arose from her seat and curtsied before him, asking permission to leave. Standing up, she sauntered over to the door but before reaching the doorknob, she asked a question that would bring an uncertain disaster upon the world. "What's your real reason for joining, King Niklas?" Her question was met with a quiet chuckle, perplexing her even more.

King Niklas looked across the room to spot an abandoned broom and said, "Let's just say there's some interesting and unfinished business there."

_= Russia = _

High, strong winds blew furiously throughout the Federal Kingdom of Russia, moving snow all around as was typical in the winter months.

Inside the royal palace, Ivan was busy painting a portrait of a beautiful beach where the rose-pink light of dawn was radiating a feeling of renewal and a hope of a better, new day… unlike with the current situation.

After the great loss of money spent in the 'Nicolas War,' riots began and were escalating still in terms of violence. There was a strong famine plaguing his and surrounding kingdoms, just causing the riots to intensify. Many people have already succumbed to the horrible famine, causing families to either break apart, migrate in large numbers, or consider horrible ideas in order to bring money for a least a loaf of bread. It was a horrendous time for all.

Ivan set down his painting tools and set the canvas down along with other portraits, which were mostly of sunflowers. He wiped his hands and face free of fresh paint with a towel and sat down on the couch, sitting next to his beloved cat, Pooshok. He began petting his fluffy brown cat, running his fingers through its silky fur, earning a happy purr from the feline to continue on. Content with its response, he went on about petting his pet, contemplating about the news he received just hours ago.

His caretaker informed him that his father entered him in a competition without his general approval. Apparently he had to win Alfred's love in order to win financial aid and land from his rich kingdom. That part was going to be extremely hard since they're not in very good relations as of now. Of course there was a time where they got along well but that was then and this is now and now, they don't like each other.

Yet, if he doesn't go and win, the unspeakable horrors that his father will do him… Ivan felt shivers run down his spine at the mere thought of it. He continued petting his cat when he heard his door open to reveal his "father," General Winter.

"Ivan, come here." His icy voice commanded.

Ivan stood up and walked to Winter's location, staring him right in the eyes like he always has to do. "Yes, what is General?" Ivan watched as his father rummaged through his pockets to take out a ticket - a ship ticket to be precise.

"Take this, Ivan." He grabbed Ivan's pale hand and opened them to leave the ticket in his son's palm. "Go to America and win. Our kingdom does not have enough time; it will soon collapse under these conditions."

"Yes. I will try." Keyword is TRY. He doesn't even know if Alfred will even allow for him to sleep under his roof let alone enter his kingdom.

"Please, I do not have enough time."

Ivan just sighed and picked up his feline companion up to his chest, starting to pet its fur again. "Fine, I will go but-" Before he could finish, the door slammed open and in entered his deranged, brother-loving younger sister, Natalya.

"Big brother! Is it true that you are going to marry that whore who you call the American Prince!-?" She yelled out as she kept waving her knife back and forth. "I will not allow that, big brother! For you see, you belong to me and me only! HAHAHA!" She laughed psychotically as she ran towards Ivan, knife in hand. "You should marry me and together, we will prosper both of our kingdoms!"

Ivan yelped as he avoided his sister's knife (which stabbed a wall) and before she had a chance to take it out, Ivan ran out of the palace in a fast pace, heading towards the dock with his cat in tow. "Bring my stuff in a separate ship, father and wish me luck!" He yelled out, quickly disappearing in the snowstorm that he completely dismissed if it meant getting away from his sister.

"Are you just going to let him go!-?" Natalya screamed, still struggling with her knife. General Winter just nodded as he picked up a music box that was made of pure god, embroidered by blue sapphires and blood-red rubies encircling a sun crest in the middle.

"Of course. Now be a good girl, Natalya, and help me pack up his things." Natalya just growled in response and she left her knife embedded in the wall as she grabbed a trunk and began to fill it up with Ivan's belongings. Winter just kept staring at the music box until he threw it at Natalya who caught it without even looking up. "Put the music box in there. It may come in handy." He then left the room leaving poor Natalya to pack her brother's stuff all alone. Not that she minded; it's a rare opportunity to have her future husband's stuff all to herself.

_= America =_

A mysterious figure covered in a black cloak walked quietly in the woods, careful not to make any noise. The person carried a large basket, and what seemed to be a huge bottle of water in his right hand. This person walked for a while, occasionally taking a break and playing with the woodland creatures. After what seemed to be an hour of walking, the figure finally reached the end of the forest and saw the familiar sight that he came for: a tall tower with a single window, one entrance and no exit.

He saw the guard that was standing on front of the door and to notify him of his presence, the figure waved a special kind of greeting to let him know it's him. The guard knew who it was immediately and opened the door for him, bowing down when he entered the tower.

"Good morning, Your Highness. Back again so soon?" The guard saw the royal take of his black garment to reveal a young boy with strawberry-coloured hair, cerulean eyes that shone amusement, sun-kissed skin, and a lithe figure.

"Yeah, I mean he is still human so he still needs to eat properly!" Alfred smiled and patted the guard's head as a sign of friendly affection before skipping up the stairs to the only room in the tower. The guard silently chuckled to himself seeing his liege so exuberant in the morning. He walked outside again and closed the door behind him, making sure that the person condemned to this tower doesn't escape.

Alfred reached the top of the tower and slowly, the door to his room slowly revealed. No longer containing his excitement, he ran up the rest of the stairs and swiftly knocked on the door with a secret rhythm, advising the occupant of the room it was him. A few seconds passed and the door slowly creaked open, and at that chance, Alfred jumped inside the room and tackled the surprised person to the floor.

"Al, what are you doing!-? Let me go, I'm starting to lose air…" Alfred just chuckled loudly and hugged the person tighter like if he was afraid of losing him. After a bit of struggle on the embraced side of the hug, the resident of the tower gasped for air, exaggerating a few times which made Alfred roll his eyes.

"Oh, com'on!" Alfred pouted, staring intently at the still gasping person before him. "Seriously Sammy, I didn't hug you that tightly, big brother!" This only made Alfred's big brother exaggerate more, coughing even more loudly whilst rolling on the floor, flailing his arms frantically. He just gained a slight punch to the shoulder from Alfred.

"Okay, enough fooling around," Sammy coughed out. Finishing his pity charade, Sammy straightened his attire and hair back to its regular shape before rising up and offering a seat to Alfred on his bed. Alfred gladly accepted and laid down on the bed, sighing happily as he stretched his arms and legs. Sammy soon joined him and laid down as well, only an inch away from his younger brother's body. "Alfred…?"

"What is it?" Alfred began to close his eyes, enjoying this private, comfortable time with his older brother. He couldn't believe that six years have passed since that incident that led his brother here. This place where his brother was forever doomed to live.

Sammy was about to ask something but for some odd reason, he hesitated. He couldn't tell him… what is the point in telling him anyway? He knew it was futile in asking; he already knew what the response was but there was no point in trying again.

"Does father forgive me?" Sammy felt tears starting to bud at the rims of his eyes. "I'm sorry, I really am." Sammy croaked out, his tears now slipping away from his eyes. He covered his eyes with his left forearm, not wanting his younger brother to see him so pathetic. "I just… I'm sorry…" He whimpered softly as he continued crying silently. "I don't know why it happened! It was just-!" Sammy was silenced as he was suddenly held in Alfred's warm, comforting embrace. Sammy just hid his face in Alfred's chest as he clung unto him, wetting Alfred's shirt with tears.

"Don't worry, Sammy…" Alfred cooed, lightly stroking his brother's blonde-red hair. "One day, he will accept your apology like I did." He hated seeing Sammy being reduced to this: meek and bawling. It wasn't in his nature.

"NO, HE WON'T!" Samuel shouted out, scaring Alfred at the sudden outburst. "HE NEVER WILL, ALFRED, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?-!" He released himself off the clutches of Alfred and faced the floor, covering his face with his hands. "WHAT I DID WAS UNFORGIVABLE! I MADE MANY PEOPLE SUFFER BECAUSE OF MY TANTRUMS, MY FIGHT FOR MY RIGHTS, MY INDEPENDENCE!" Sammy fell to the floor, now crying hysterically. "AND LOOK WHAT I GOT…!" Alfred watched as his brother got up from the floor and walked to the only window in the room that overlooked the entire forest with a tiny glimpse of Liberius Castle. "Look what happened…" Samuel muttered meekly, voice no longer booming. "The very thing I was fighting for was taken away from me for good. A cruel jest of fate, is it not?" He looked towards Alfred and what Alfred saw shocked him. Sammy's face was covered in fresh and dried tears, his eyes were absolutely blood-shot, and his hair was a mess. It completely broke Alfred's heart.

"Sammy…" Alfred just looked at his brother, eyes completely misty.

Samuel looked out the window seeing birds flying in the azure sky, singing a melody so familiar to his ears. "How long has it been since I set foot on the outside world?" He looked down and saw bunnies hopping around the outside perimeter of the forest, completely oblivious of the man forever trapped in the tower. "Do you know how it feels, Alfred? How you'll never again feel the shaggy touch of grass, the cool waves of the ocean, the frosty touch of snow, or the fresh air against your body? It's really painful when you're like me - a man who loves nature. Something I took for granted was now taken away from me along with my freedom."

Alfred looked as Samuel took out his hand out the window as if hoping the birds outside would pick him up and fly him away from his eternal prison. His adventurous brother who nobody could restrain was now sentenced to life imprisonment. He tried talking to his father about giving him a lighter sentence even though knowing the damage Samuel had done. Every time he did, his proposal was rebuked. He missed the days were they used to play together ever since their mother separated from their father, taking Matthew along with her. It was always the two of the them, playing pranks on everyone who passed by in the capital village. But, everything went wrong when Samuel reached that point in life where their independence is everything. Then, _it _happened and ever since it ended, Samuel was locked in here. Locked for all of eternity.

_'Don't worry, Sammy.' _Alfred thought to himself. _'I'll get you out of here, even if it means getting locked inside here with you!'_

**SHATTERED LIFE'S FINAL NOTES:**

Whoo! I have finished this! Took forever by the way. = ^ = The reason why I took so long was because I had to revatilise some points in the story and the America part was an added extra. I also wanted to make the characters someone who you could relate to; not in terms of status but by problems such as family problems, finding your purpose in life, the process of growing up, the cruel joke of life, etc, and how they overcame those problems. That and I was lazy at some points. So pretty much a ton of revising was done here. DO ALL OF THE REVISING!

Samuel is my OC for the Confederate States of America. In the Hetalia Universe, I just call him South since he longer is the Confederacy. (He is in the same case as Prussia.)  
>Hair Colour: Reddish-Blonde<br>Eye Colour: Turquoise  
>Same hair-style as America but without the ahoge. Looks similar to America.<p>

When I wrote Alfred and Samuel's portion, I swear my eyes got a tad misty. That scene was replaying in my head and my heart was aching at how woeful Sammy's voice sounded. Can you imagine never ever setting foot in the outside world again for the rest of your life? You may say that you may not need the outside world, but trust me, from my personal experiences, you will eventually go crazy. What a fun nine months that was…

Putting that aside, I'm pretty sure you know what Samuel did that got him such a cruel punishment. -cough-CivilWar-coughcough- Though, a little different because after all, this is an ALTERNATE universe.

Sorry for grammar, spelling errors, and all that stuff. Please review if you thought this was good and those wonderful reviews will motivate me to update faster. Thanks!

Next chapter, we will see the competitors come together to see who their prize is: Alfred.


	2. Chapter 2

**SHATTERED LIFE'S NOTES:**

**Haha, hey guys, guess who is back aftersomanyyearsohmygoshimtheworstpersonthathaseverexistedintermsofupdates. Well anyways, I just don't know why I stopped with the story, it just kinda happened. Next thing I knew, it was close to two years since I did anything. Boy, does time sure fly by. It's really hard to type on my old Mac since I got a new Windows computer last year so I constantly make errors and when I want to delete something, I always press the 'equals' button instead of backspace. It's really frustrating. I do not know if anybody is still following this story but I'm going to end this once and for all, either by my lonesome or with others behind me!**

**In this chapter, all the contestants finally arrive in the Kingdom of America. With so many competitors, tensions rise and the battle begins!**

**P.S. While I'm typing this, my freaking cat keeps freaking moving in his sleep and stretching and curling into a ball and asfdbhndfhnlfp;lfnaadorable!  
><strong>

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><p>The bustling port city of Baltimore was always a lively place- fishermen talking to fellow people of the practice, street vendors exclaiming their wages for their products, and fresh bread filling the cold, winter air. The streets were always crowded during any time of the year with people walking casually to their destination and kids running through the throng of pedestrians and today was busier and nosier than ever.<p>

Everybody crowded before the huge, black, foreign ship that was docked on their port. Everybody kept questioning as to what was happening and why was it here out of all places. Curiosity intensified when, all of a sudden, royal guards started to say to move away when a carriage came into view. Civilians could only see a short, black-haired man come out of the carriage only to be followed by a much taller man who had silvery-blond hair.

"Wow~! It's so lively here, right Kiku?" Ivan stated in awe at the huge crowd that was starting to accumulate more in numbers.

Kiku lifted up his head and saw that it was indeed what Ivan said. "Hai, it seems so, Ivan-san. Unfortunately, this is more attention than I am comfortably with." He only heard tidbits of voices here and there but most of them were questioning as to who they were and why were the royal guards here.

"Oi, oi, it took you guys long enough to get here!" A voice yelled out.

Both Ivan and Kiku looked up to see who was the owner of the voice when their eyes landed on a man of average height and sandy-blond hair coming down from the ship. Before Kiku could respond. screams erupted from the crowd below when they realized who it exactly was and interrupted Kiku.

"AAAHHH! IT'S ARTHUR! ARTHUR'S BACK!" Arthur could only flinch when the audience screamed out his name in a high-pitched shriek. "ARTHUR! LOOK AT ME, ARTHUR!" A huge crowd of young girls pushed their way into the front to have a chance of touching the Prince of England with their own hands but were, unfortunately for them, stopped by the royal guards.

"It seems like you have quite a number of admirers, Arthur-san." Kiku said when Arthur approached towards the two princes. Kiku could only look in disdain when he spotted out of the corner of his eye, a prepubescent girl biting the arm of a guard when he tried holding her back. "Yes, quite a number of _rabid _admirers, if I might add."

"Ufufu~ It seems like to me that little Kiku is jealous!" Ivan half-sung as he poked the Japanese emperor's cheek as a way to emphasize his supposed immaturity. His comment was only met with a polite request to please stop what he was doing. Ivan didn't listen and continued poking the smaller man's cheek. "It's okay, Kiku. One day, you'll have your own set of fans that are willing to bite other people for you!"

Kiku swatted Ivan's hand away and quietly exclaimed to please stop treating him as a child and that he was older than Ivan by two years and that he would rather have no fans than people like them. They both kept going back and forth while Arthur watched, all of them not noticing the rest of the contestants come down from the ship.

"First we hear tons of girls screaming," Antonio said while standing next to Arthur, "and now I hear Ivan and Kiku bickering. What a way to be welcomed into America!" Antonio spread out his arms as he shouted out the last part.

Ludwig was next to join Antonio and Arthur's side. "Definitely not the way I wanted for us to be welcomed but it is to be expected in a kingdom as vibrant and-" Ludwig saw a young woman fighting her way through the crowd to get a better look... "... colorful as America." Ludwig finished with a bit of strain in his voice.

Before the rest of the princes could join in on the conversation, a yell from a royal guard intervened in their little reunion.

"Everybody, go-!" He grunted as he held off a group of girls. "I don't k-know how much- we can handle anymore!" He stumbled backwards a bit as they were growing stronger. "Just, go! HURRY! Get inside the carriage!"

Everybody saw in horror as the royal guards were being pushed more and more into a corner. It wouldn't be long before they couldn't take it anymore. With the guard's warning in their minds, everybody ran and hopped inside the carriage in which Ivan and Kiku came on, with Ivan being first to make sure nobody sat on his sleeping cat. Once Francis shut the carriage door, the coachman, with a swift whip of the harness, commanded the horses to begin running and off they were.

The coachman could see behind him as the guards gave way and tons of girls running behind him. He once again whipped the harness multiple times to signal the horses to go faster while the inhabitants inside the carriage prayed that they would soon give up. Fortunately, after 5 minutes, the fangirls gave up after running at top-speed for five continuos minutes and soon left them in the dust. Both the princes and the coachman sighed in relief and continued on their journey at the same speed.

Francis averted his eyes away from the window and opted to glare at Arthur. He just pointed at him and said, "I blame you for this."

Before Arthur could retaliate, the coachman shouted out that the trip to the capital would be an hour long ride and to relax and enjoy the ride. Everybody fell silent as they made their way to Libertas Castle in Washington D.C.. The place where the one person who could determine their future was located at.

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><p>After a half-hour long of awkward silence accompanied with the dual purring of both Ivan's and Heracles's cats, it was surprisingly Heracles who broke the ice.<p>

"It's a good time as any..." A pause. "...to introduce ourselves, right?" Everybody agreed that there was no harm there and proceeded with Heracles's idea. "I'll... start. Γεια σας, my name is Heracles and I am the Prince..." He paused for a bit with a thoughtful look overtaking his face. "... or more accurately, the King of the Kingdom of Greece. It's a pleasure."

Ludwig was the second to introduce himself. "_Guten Tag_, my name is Ludwig and I am the Prince of the Kingdom of Germania. It's an honour to meet you all."

"_Konnichiwa_, my name is Kiku and I am the Emperor of the Empire of the Sun, Japan." Kiku bowed down his head. "Please take good care of me."

_Such modesty, _everybody thought.

Ivan was the next to introduce himself. "I am sure you all know me but I will still introduce myself. _Privyet_, my name is Ivan and I am the Prince of the Federal Kingdom of Russia. Oh, and just a warning, it would be unwise to make an enemy out of me!" Ivan just giggled. The others made a mental note out of that.

Arthur just awkwardly coughed and tried to ignore the ominous aura emanating from the Russian prince. "Hello, I am Arthur and I am the Prince of the United Kingdom and no, believe me, the pleasure is all mine." After he finished, it took all of his willpower to ignore the snickers from the French prince sitting right across from him.

"Such a mundane greeting from such a boring person. Luckily for you all, I'm not like him." Francis flipped his shiny blond hair. "_Bonjour_, my little lovelies, I am Francis from the Kingdom of Love, France! Please do not cry when I win the heart of Alfred. It is very clear that I will emerge victorious! After all, _petits enfants ne devraient pas jouer dans le domaine de l'amour._" (1)

"Stop speaking in frog, you... you... bloody frog!" Arthur glared at Francis. He didn't understand what he just said but he was clearly insulting them.

"Honhon, quite a vocabulary you got there, Arthur. I'm surprised you even knew more than two words that weren't 'prick' or 'tea'!" Before a fight ensued between Arthur and Francis, a voice rang out.

"_¡Oye, oye!_" Apparently it was Antonio. "I still haven't introduced myself. You can get back into your little _pelea _once I finish, okay?" Both Arthur and Francis sat back down and huffed at each other. "_Hola, amigos ¿Qué tal?_ My name is Antonio and I am from the Kingdom of Spain, _el reino de la pasión." _As a way to emphasize this last part, Antonio spread out his arms and accidently hit Arthur in the face, earning a snicker from Francis and an irritated growl from Arthur.

Ludwig sighed in exhaustion. He couldn't believe he was in this type of situation. In order to save his kingdom from collapsing, he has to successfully woo the American Prince, Alfred who was notorious overseas for being oblivious to the atmosphere. Throw in other suitors who are also competing and it's not going to be an easy ride. Ludwig was interrupted from his thoughts when Francis spoke up.

"Just a quick question for Ivan and Kiku." Both Ivan and Kiku looked at Francis. "I was wondering how you came here so fast. We basically came around the same time but both you live father out than the rest of us." Francis saw Kiku pale and put a hand over his mouth. This reaction elicited a smile from Ivan.

"It wasn't exactly an easy ride like the rest of you probably had. Not only did we travel in a ship that was traveling at dangerously high speeds, causing the ship to bounce on wave after wave-" Kiku groaned quietly. "-making all on board sea-sick but once we docked on San Francisco Bay, we had to jump carriage to carriage, all traveling on speeds previously thought impossible. We went through a great ordeal just to get here on time to meet with the rest of the gang!" The rest couldn't believe what they were hearing. Their case of mild sea-sickness coupled with weak storms seemed like a pleasant walk in the gardens compared to Kiku and Ivan's journey.

Kiku took his hand off his mouth and regained his composure. "I am sorry for my rude behavior earlier but everything you heard was right. Also sharing a cabin with _him_..." He glanced at Ivan for a short second before reverting his eyes back at the others, "...it can exhaust a person."

No arguing there.

Suddenly they all felt the carriage stop.

"We are here! Your Royal Highness', please exit if you will." The coachman hollered out.

Everybody stayed still. Nobody moved a muscle or glanced around.

This was it.

They were here at long last.

Just outside this carriage was Libertas Castle, capital of the Kingdom of America. Outside of these doors stood their future and quite possibly their doom. For once since they've met, they realized their situation. When they all introduced themselves in the beginning, it was just a friendly and ordinary pass-time. Though once they open these doors and leave, they will be competitors-and no longer companions- and it will all one for one's self.

"I am proud to say that I will be the first to say this to you all so: Welcome everybody to the Kingdom of America, land of the free!"

Everybody looked at one another and decided that it was now or never. They all looked to Francis and with a quick nod, Francis nodded and held his breath. He slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

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><p><strong>SHATTERED LIFE'S FINAL NOTES: <strong>

I finished! Yeah, whoo! I don't know why I am so overly excited! This is the second chapter as you can see and it is DRASTICALLY different from the one I wrote years ago when I was in middle school. In my middle school, we had an extra class that was either an elective or a remedial class and I got an elective. True to my Hispanic roots, I got gardening… much to my disappointment. Instead of slaving away on hot "spring" days outside, I stayed inside and worked on this story. To give an estimate of how long this story has existed, I wrote it in the beginning of my first-half of 8th grade and now I am in the second-half of my 11th year. Yeaaaaaaaaaa… so four years ago.

I included the fangirls because I noticed that a good majority act that way when royalty comes over, especially if it's the English Royal family for some reason. It's the only one we seem to recognize more than the others hence why they freaked out over Arthur.

In their introductions, each one says 'hello' in their native tongue so you pretty much know what they said except for the few exception:

(1) Little children shouldn't play in the field of love

Tidbits of Antonio's speech:

_Oye: Hey!_

_pelea: fight_

_Hola, amigos ¿Qué tal?_ : _Hello, guys! How's it going?_

_el reino de la pasión: the kingdom of passion_

I guess this is it. Once again pardon my language, English was not my native tongue but I'm improving! Expect the new chapter either Thursday or Friday! I am going to be extremely busy with tests coming near and the new Common Core test next week. Apparently it's going to replace state tests (for me it's the CST) or something. I don't know but we're going to take it on computers instead of on paper.

Until next time!


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